Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the spring! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

All Ages | Activity

Join us with our guest, AOSNY. for an evening of night skies! On our back deck, we will use multiple telescopes to focus on the various celestial bodies.

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Weather: In the case of inclement weather, we will notify folks of cancellation via-email, and we will update this webpage morning-of.

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Speakers:

Amateur Observers’ Society of New York

Established in 1965, the Amateur Observers’ Society of New York (“AOSNY”) was created as a means for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages to meet together. Amateur Astronomy is about helping others, learning, doing, and having fun!

Their mission is to bring Long Island astronomy to the public and provide astronomy resources to members. This expresses their commitment not only to serve their members, but also to educate and inspire the public.

The Teachers’ Workshop provides educators with an immersive experience at the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center. Teachers are placed in the role of students, and learn about how to use the building and site to teach students about environmental design, dune ecology, climate change, coastal resilience, and more. Participants can receive CTLE (Continuing Teacher and Leader Education) hours through the New York State Education Department.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Here are some preview questions from the Energy and Us unit. This will cover the first 30 minutes of the workshop

https://forms.office.com/g/7q7qisgE4q

RSVP required. Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please call 516-809-8222 or email jbenc@parks.ny.gov to cancel your reservation if you cannot attend so your spot can be made available to others.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer Event

Ages 12 and up—all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Plan to arrive by 9:30 am (schedule below). Help survey Jones Beach! NYS DEC and NYS Parks, with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, hosts a Marine Debris survey and clean-up biannually. Come learn more about why this survey is so important! The duration depends on conditions but is expected to take 3-4 hours.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Data recording materials

• Other equipment needed for the cleanup and survey

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

• Lunch or light snack

Schedule:

9:30am—Welcome, Sign-in and registration (waivers and photo release) at Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center

9:45am—Introduction to staff, project, and research protocols

10:00am— Walk to beach

10:30am—Survey and beach cleanup. Some groups will finish earlier than others. Survey's usually take between 2.5 - 5 hours depending on number of volunteers and the amount of trash present.

---

Presented by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program

If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to francis.mcparland@dec.ny.gov or jbenc@parks.ny.gov.

Scouts (All Ages) | Walk

Do you and your troop want to see seals? Meet us at Field 10 to learn all about the seals that visit Long Island between 10:00am – 12:00pm. Walk along the beach and watch out for swimming seals--our educators will be ready with a scope to point out these magnificent marine mammals!

This walk is about a 1 mile roundtrip on sand, and is unfortunately not accessible to wheelchairs or strollers. However, we will have educators stationed at the accessible docks which are by the water and also have a chance of seeing seals. Stop by at any point

Wear layers, gloves, hats, and scarves because wind conditions along the bay can make the walk extra chilly. Bring binoculars if you have them. There are no open bathrooms at this site, but the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center is a short drive down the road and will have open bathrooms.

Fee: Free

RSVP: No RSVP required

Scouts (All Ages) | Walk

Do you and your troop want to see seals? Meet us at Field 10 to learn all about the seals that visit Long Island between 10:00am – 12:00pm. Walk along the beach and watch out for swimming seals--our educators will be ready with a scope to point out these magnificent marine mammals!

This walk is about a 1 mile roundtrip on sand, and is unfortunately not accessible to wheelchairs or strollers. However, we will have educators stationed at the accessible docks which are by the water and also have a chance of seeing seals. Stop by at any point

Wear layers, gloves, hats, and scarves because wind conditions along the bay can make the walk extra chilly. Bring binoculars if you have them. There are no open bathrooms at this site, but the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center is a short drive down the road and will have open bathrooms.

Fee: Free

RSVP: No RSVP required

The Teachers’ Workshop provides educators with an immersive experience at the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center. Teachers are placed in the role of students, and learn about how to use the building and site to teach students about environmental design, dune ecology, climate change, coastal resilience, and more. Participants can receive CTLE (Continuing Teacher and Leader Education) hours through the New York State Education Department.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Here are some preview questions from the Energy and Us unit. You can complete this form before the workshop.

https://forms.office.com/g/7q7qisgE4q

RSVP required. Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please call 516-809-8222 or email jbenc@parks.ny.gov to cancel your reservation if you cannot attend so your spot can be made available to others.

Free Event Admission (NO RSVP REQUIRED)

Families (All Ages) | Walk

This free event will take place at Field 10 of Jones Beach. Drop in anytime between 10am - 2pm to talk with an educator and go looking for seals swimming along in the bay. This hike is 1.5 miles out-and-back. Our educators will have a scope to help patrons spot any seals. Bring your family and friends!

Wear boots, bring binoculars, and dress in layers, with scarves, hats, and gloves.

We're excited to see you!

In the event of inclement weather, please refer back to this page to know of any cancellations or delays.

—

Celebrate the new year in the outdoors with a First Day Hike at one of the many events across the state and nation.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invite New Yorkers to kick off 2025 by participating in one of the many hikes being held at state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, trails, and public lands across the Empire State.

This event is OUTDOORS. Dress appropriately.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

Families (All Ages) | Activity

Join us for a fun seasonal craft! Create your very own custom wreath using our provided foraged materials.

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the winter! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

Free Programming

All Ages | Activities, Crafts, and More

It’s winter time, and you know what that means…our favorite marine mammals are back in town! Celebrate all of the seal species that visit Long Island, and learn more about all different kinds of marine mammals in the world, like whales, dolphins, porpoises, otters, and more.

Crafts:

11:00am-11:45am, & 12:00pm-12:45pm Build your own seal! (All Ages, Recommmended 3+)

• Glue, paint, and googly eyes—craft a adorable carboard seal to decorate your home.

11:00am-3:00pm Otter Paper-Bag Puppets (All Ages)

Glue, paint, and googly eyes—craft a adorable carboard seal to decorate your home.

Activities:

11:00am-1:00pm Whale Sound Studio (Recommended Ages 7+)

• Do you think you know how to talk like a whale? Try our spectrogram and match your voice to a marine mammal.

1:00pm-3:00pm Touch Tank

• Join an educator to meet the hermit crabs, spider crabs, and snails in our touch tank.

2:00pm-3:00pm Marine Mammal Mysteries with Educator Doug

• What are your number one animal questions? Educator Doug knows it all! Learn about our local whales, seals, and more in a chat with Doug. Explore our marine mammal bone collection.

Games:

11:00am-3:00pm Solve the Riddle!

• Grab a riddle sheet from our front desk and look through our exhibits and special tables for answers—if you solve our riddle, you can earn a prize.

11:00am-3:00pm Bean Bag Otters & Pin the Fin on the Dolphin

• Pass by our craft room to try your hand at our otter corn-hole game or see if you can get a fin onto a dolphin!

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors.

Weather: In the case of inclement weather, all activities will be indoors.

RSVP: RSVP recommended to reserve your space for crafts.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer Event

Ages 12 and up—all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Plan to arrive by 10:00 am (schedule below). Help survey Jones Beach! NYS DEC and NYS Parks, with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, hosts a Marine Debris survey and clean-up biannually. Come learn more about why this survey is so important! The duration depends on conditions but is expected to take 3-4 hours.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Data recording materials

• Other equipment needed for the cleanup and survey

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

• Lunch or light snack

Schedule:

10:00am—Welcome, Sign-in and registration (waivers and photo release) at Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center

10:30am—Introduction to staff, project, and research protocols

11:00am— Walk to beach

11:30 am—Survey and beach cleanup. Some groups will finish earlier than others. Survey's usually take between 2.5 - 5 hours depending on number of volunteers and the amount of trash present.

---

Presented by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program

If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to francis.mcparland@dec.ny.gov or jbenc@parks.ny.gov.

Adults, and Families (Ages 6+) | Citizen Science

Join our educators for an exciting community science program to capture, tag, and release Monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.

1:30-1:40: Sign In, Volunteer Registration

1:40-2:00: What is a Monarch? Where are they migrating?

2:00-2:30: Capturing Monarchs

2:30-3:00: Tag & Release

Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.